Breastfeeding

Before I became pregnant with Aston I hadn't thought much about breastfeeding, I assumed it was something that came naturally to most women and although I was aware that not everybody did it I didn't really know the reasons why.

Breastfeeding however is not always easy and it can take quite a while for both mum and bub to learn what they're doing. Sometimes they can't breastfeed at all.

Aston loved to breastfeed and other than sore nipples at the very beginning we had it mostly under control quite quickly, he loved it so much he developed a sleep association with feeding that made life miserable for all of us. You can read about that here. (NB. This was a problem for us, for others this kind of sleep association may be a more positive thing.)

I think I was expecting Zachariah to be like his brother, in fact I was a bit worried that as he got older Zach too might develop a similar sleep association. At the moment there is no chance of that.

Most of our feeding sessions are quite stressful and often accompanied with much crying. Poor Zach just can not get comfortable. I need to use two hands, one to support him and the other to support my breast otherwise he won't stay latched on. As well as this, my milk was coming out too fast and causing him to choke and gulp and upset his tummy, after a few weeks it settled down and now I think he struggles to cope with how hard he has to work to get his dinner.

After watching a feed the early childhood nurse said "it's not very relaxing or comfortable for either of you is it?" It was comforting to have someone else acknowledge how I felt. She suggested swapping sides every time he got upset which does help. After the first day of doing that Zachariah was a lot more settled during the day and did lots more poos which made me worry that I'd been under feeding him for eight weeks!

I also spoke to an Australian Breastfeeding Association counsellor who encouraged me to stay calm during feeds despite the screaming, to remember that it's Zach's problem not mine and if I am calm he will feel calm(ish) too. Sometimes this is easier said than done.

It is frustrating to not have an easy answer but we are soldiering on. It's not all bad, sometimes we do have a decent breastfeeding session with minimal crying and just this morning Zach stopped sucking and looked up at me with a very cheeky smile! :-)

A possible alternative to breastfeeding?

Fireman Love

Aston has had a "baby in my tummy" ever since we told him I was pregnant with Zachariah, I thought when Zach was born that Aston's baby would be born too. It seems however that Aston's baby was younger than Zach as he was born today.

He has been named "Fireman Love", I have no idea why although I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Fireman Sam, and has gone everywhere with us today. We gave Aston this doll for Christmas and until now he has been called "Baby".

Here is Aston with Fireman Love in a carrier




And here he is giving Fireman Love some milk

Two Boys

My two boys are so very different, I know I shouldn't be surprised but I'm amazed at how we can tell the differences in their personality at such a young age.

Aston was a very laid back baby, he would cry when he needed something and had moments of unsettledness but he definitely wasn't a 'screamer'. Zachariah is not a 'screamer' either but he does make a lot of noise when he wants something.

Zachariah is still working out how to breastfeed, he's getting a lot of milk but we're still learning what to do. By this time I'm pretty sure Aston and I had worked things out. Aston loved to feed too- he had milk every 2 hours or so and would take it every time it was offered. Zach eats every 3-4 hours and does not comfort feed, if I offer him a feed when he's not hungry he will cry!

Aston did not move very much at this age, Zachariah is always trying to move, he pushes himself up to stand when you hold him on your lap. He even tries to crawl during tummy time!

They look very different, Aston had a very round chubby face at this age and blue eyes, Zach is slimmer and has dark eyes- I think they are turning brown.

They have some similarities too, they both love being in the bath. They both have (Aston had at this age) a longish sleep period of 4-6 hours in the evening and lots of cat naps for the rest of the day.

I'm really enjoying seeing both my boys grow and learn and I'm looking forward to seeing them continue to grow up together.